Motor vehicle



y 8, 1945- E. s. M PHERsoN MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Jan 25, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l III",I'II'I'I'I'I'I'I'I'L B H W W (Ittorneg 'May'8, 1945. E. s. MaOPHERSON MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Jan. 25, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r n v e .w M m M? W w 7 ix, o r J 1 m m 1+ 9,. uwm

May 8, 1945. E s, MaCPHERsoN 2,375,670

MOTOR VEHICLE .Fi led Jan. 25, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented ay 8, 1945 MOTOR VEHICLE.

Earle S. MacPherson, Detroit, Mich., asslgnor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application January 25, 1943, Serial No. 473,512

Claims. (01. 180-24) This invention relates to a motor vehicle with a body in the form of a hull capable of floating The vehicle includes a body of armor plate with sides I and 2 and ends such as 3, a top 4, and

in water, or one which can at least be partially a bottom 6, forming a hull ,which is capable of submerged, without water entering the interior floating in water, or one which can at least be of the body or hull. 5 partially submerged without water entering the More particularly, it relates to a six-wheel drive interior of the body or hull. It has front dirigible armored vehicle of the above kind with all wheels wheels III, II,- intermediate dirigible wheels l2, l3, independently suspended on the exterior of the and rear wheels l4, I5. hull, outboard axle shafts for each wheel uni- The body or hull is resiliently supported on versally connected to drive shafts within the hull, the wheels which are each independently susand a suitable mechanism for steering the front pended therefrom by a wishbone suspension sysand intermediate wheels simultaneously. tem of the kind shown most clearly in Figure 6,

One object of the invention is avehicle in which situated wholly on the outside of the hull. the body constitutes a hull which is easily and Rigidly mounted within the hull are drive shaft adequately sealed against the ingress of water l5 housings 20, 2|, and 22, one for each pair of road in which it may be submerged, at those places wheels. The housings 20, 2| and 22 have cupped where its driving and steering means essentially ends forming sockets such as 24 secured to the extend outside from the interior thereof. sides I and 2 of the hull, to receive and seal the Another object of the invention is a. vehicle ball cupped ends. 25v of telescopic non-rotating with steering mechanism for the dirigible wheel 0 tubular housings such as 26 for outboard axle or wheels on one side of the vehicle connected shafts such as 21 which are universally jointed to steering mechanism for the dirigible wheel or as at 28 to their drive shafts such as 29 within wheels on the other side of the vehicle by a the housings 20, 2| and 22 and are similarly cross connecting link situated within the hull jointed at their opposite ends (not shown) to of the vehicle. 4 25 the stub axles such as 30 (Figure 3) of their The above and other objects of the invention respective wheels. will be apparent as the description proceeds. The stub axles such as 30 to which the wheels According to the invention, the steering mechaare secured are mounted in suitable bearings in nism includes longitudinally disposed downwardwheel supporting brackets such as 3| with sockets ly and rearwardly inclined shafts on each side of 30 (not shown) which receive and seal the opposite the vehicle which are turned by a steering gear ball cupped ends 32 of the inner sleeves 26' of of which theipitman arm is linked to a lever arm the housi s ey are ea Suppo ted by on one of the said shafts, linked to a lever arm independent suspension means of the kind shown on the other of said shafts by a cross connecting in Figure 6. tie rod wholly within the hull of the vehicle. The 35 In the case of the dirigible wheels "I, and shafts thus turned have lever arms linked rethe brackets such as 3| are p v d d h spectively to the steering arms of the dirigible steering arms 33 and are carried by trunnions wheels on their respective sides of the vehicle. 34 and 35 in knuckle brackets such as 38 and The drawings show a construction with a steer- 39 (Figures '3 and 6) supported on pivot axes 38 ing mechanism according to the invention applied 40 and 39 at the ends of the upperand lower transto the front and intermediate independently susverse wishbone links 40 and 4| respectively of pended wheels of a six wheel drive vehicle with an their suspension systems. The trunnions 34 and armored hull. I 35 permit of the required steering movement of In the drawings: the wheels about substantially vertical axes. Figure l is a plan view of the steering mecha- As indicated in Figure 6, the upper and lower nism and associated parts. links 40 and ll of the suspension systems are Figure 2 is a view on line 22 of Figure 1, pivotally connected to the vehicle hull for swing- Figure 3 is a view on line 33 of Figure 1. ing movement about substantially horizontal axes Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view on line 43 and 44. Up a d S g ovement thereof ti-ti of Figure 3. about these axes is resiliently resisted by coil Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of p n s such s 45 w t t ei pper en s sea n Figure i. on abutments such as 41 on the hull side and Figure 6 is a, part sectional view on 11 6-6 of their lower ends seating on seatings such as 4| Figure 3 showing the manner in which the wheels pivotally connected o he pper li ks 40. are independently suspended. Within each oi the coil sprin s 45 is a telescopic shock absorber 50 with its upper end pivotally connected to the abutment such as 41 and its lower end secured to the seating such as 48.

The ball cupped ends 25 of the housings 26 are enclosed within flexible seals such as 52 of rubber or the like and are supported and sealed in the sockets 24 by bearing seals such as 54. The ball cupped ends 32 of the inner sleeves 26' of the housings 26 are sealed and supported in a similar manner (not shown) in the wheel supporting brackets 3 I.

Springs such as 56 between the parts 26 and 26 of the tubular housings resiliently urge them into a telescoped position of minimum overall length with their cupped ends against their bearing seals such as 54 while the juncture of their telescoped positions is enclosed by an extensible or collapsible seal 56' of rubber or the like.

On the outside of each of the sides I and 2 of the hull there is a longitudinally disposed shaft such as 6|], downwardly and rearwardly inclined to a point above and forward of the housings 26 for the outboard axle shafts of the front dirigible Wheels II], II.

The shafts such as 60 are supported by ball bearings 62 and 63 with seals such as 64, 65 and 66 in housings 68 and 69 which are secured to the sides I and 2 respectively of the hull.

Downwardly extending lever arms Ill and H are secured to the respective ends of the shafts 60 which extend rearwardly from their housings and to which shaft extensions 14 and are universally jointed at 16.

The shaft extensions 14 and 15 are approxi mately coaxial with their respective shafts 60,. and extend to a point above and forward of the housings 26 for the outboard axle shafts of the intermediate dirigible wheels I2, l3. They are supported in a ball bearing such as 71 suitably sealed in housings 18 and 19 secured to the respective sides I and 2 of the hull, and downwardly extending lever arms 80 and 8| are secured to their rearward ends.

The lever arms In and H are linked by connecting rods 84 and 85 to the steering arms 33 of the front dirigible wheels I0 and H respectively, and the lever arms 80 and 8| are linked by connecting rods 86 and 81 to the steering arms 33 of the intermediate dirigible wheels I2 and I3 respectively.

Suitably mounted in the hull forwardlly of the front dirigible wheels IO, N is a steering gear 90 provided with hydraulic power servo means indicated generally at 9|, which rocks a pitman arm 92 upon turning of a steering wheel 93.

The pitman arm 92 is connected by a link 94 or pitman steering connecting rod to a bell crank lever 96, which is secured to the shaft 60 in the housing 69 and extends through a port 9'! in the side of the hull, upwardly therefrom into the interior of the hull. The shaft 60 in the housing 68 is provided with a lever 99 which similarly extends through a port in the opposite side of the hull, upwardly therefrom into th interior of the hull, and is linked to the lever 96 by'a cross connecting tie rod I00.

It will be seen that through the link 94 and the levers 96 and 99 with their cross connecting tie rod I00, the shaftsfifl on opposite sides of the hull are turned by the pitman arm 92 in a direction depending on the direction in which the steering wheel 93 is turned and that this movement is transferred into steering movement 10, II with links 84, 85 to the steering arms 33 of the front dirigible wheels l9, II respectively, and through the lever arms 80, 8| with links 86, 81 to the steering arms 33 of the intermediate dirigible wheels l2, l3, respectively; the housings 68 and 69 with the seals such as 65, 66 effectively sealing the interior from the outside of the hull where the lever arms 96, 91 extend therethrough.

The downward rearward inclination of the shafts with their extensions 15 facilitates the use of lever arms 90, 8| shorter in length than the lever arms 10, H as shown, and it will be appreciated that because of this the wheels l2, l3

will be turned through a desirable smaller steering angle than the Wheels I0, I I,

I claim:

1. In a vehicle with a body in the form of a hull, road wheels with stub axles supported in bearings in brackets independently suspended from said hullon opposite sides of the vehicle, driving means for said road wheels, including drive shafts within the hull, and outboard axle shafts with their opposite ends respectively universally jointed to the drive shafts and the stub axles, and means for sealing. said hull against the ingress of water in which it may be submerged at those places where the driving means extend through the hull, said means including housings for the outboard part of said driving means, the opposite ends of said housings having ball cupped ends respectively supported and sealed in sockets in said hull and said independently suspended brackets.

2. The combination according to claim 1, in which said driven road wheels are dirigible wheels provided with steering mechanism, in-

i and suitably supported cluding a pair of turnable steering shafts, one on the outside of each side of the vehicle hull in housings secured to the sides of said hull, lever arms on each of said steering shafts extending through ports in the side of the hull into the interior thereof, and means for moving said lever arms to turn said steering shafts; said housings sealing said hull against the ingress of water in which it may be submerged at those places where said lever arms extend through said ports.

3. In a vehicle with a pair of dirigible road wheels on opposite sides thereof, steering mechanism for said wheels including a steering gear with a pitman arm, a pair of shafts on opposite sides of said vehicle, a lever arm on each of said shafts, a cross connecting tie rod linking said lever arms together, a link from said pitman arm to one of said lever arms, a second lever arm on each of said shafts, and a link between each of said second lever arms and the wheel on its respective side of the vehicle, said shafts on their trunnions 34 and 35 through the lever arms opposite sides of the vehicle being supported in bearings with suitable seals in housings secured to the outside of the vehicle body, the steering gear, the'pitman arm and the tie rod being wholly within the vehicle body, and said lever arms linked by said tie rod extending from their shafts through ports in the body sides into the interior of the body; said body constituting a hull sealed by said housings against the ingress of water in which it may be submerged, at those places where said lever arms extend through said ports.

4. In a vehicle with a pair of front dirigible road wheels, a second pair of dirigible road wheels behind the front dirigible road wheels a pair of longitudinally disposed shafts suitably supported in bearings on opposite sides of said vehicle, a lever arm on each of said shafts, a 7 steering gear, linkage between saidgsteering gear and said lever arms for turning said shafts, and linkage for effecting dirigible movement of said wheels from said shafts, including a second lever arm on each of said shaits, a link between each of said second lever arms and the front wheel" on its respective side of the vehicle; a third lever arm onextensions of each of said shafts, and a link between eachof said third lever arms-and the second wheel on its respective side of the vehicle, said longitudinally disposed shafts and their extensions being inclined downwardly and rearwardly above the plane of the axes of the wheels. and the third lever arms beingshorter in,

length than the second lever arms, thereby turning the second pair of wheels through a smaller steering angle than the front-wheels.

5. In a vehicle with a pair of front dirigible road wheels, a second pair of dirigible road wheels behind the front dirigible road wheels,

.-a pair of longitudinally disposed shafts suit- 5 ably supported in hearings on opposite sides ofsaid vehicle, a lever arm on each of said shafts, a steering gear, linkage between said steering gear and said lever arms for turning said shafts, and linkage for effecting dirigible movement of said wheels from said shafts, including a second lever arm on each of said shafts, a link between.

each of saidsecond lever arms and the front wheel on its respective side of the-vehicle, a third lever arm on extensions of each" of said shafts, and a link between each of said third lever'arms and the second wheel on its respective side of the vehicle, there being a universal joint between each of said shafts and the extensions thereof,

the ends of said extensions remote from their universal joints being supported in suitable bearings secured to. the vehicle sides.

S. MACPHERSON. 

